Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini hopes David Silva's injury problems are behind him
Saturday 23 April 2016 11:11, UK
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hopes David Silva's injury problems are behind him.
Silva is finally back in the City squad after missing the last three Premier League games with an ankle problem.
Pellegrini has been adamant Silva does not need surgery, but wanted to ensure he was ready to feature against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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Ahead of his side's clash with Stoke City on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, Pellegrini said: "It was not a problem of ligament or muscle, it was a hard kick that could never recover 100 per cent from.
"I hope, with the last treatment, that he is 100 per cent fit now and he won't have any more problems in the future.
"He has improved a lot this week so he is very confident he can play tomorrow. We will see how many minutes he will play and then we will assess him after that, but the way he is feeling at the moment I don't think he will have any problems."
Pellegrini recently spoke of his short stint as boss of Real Madrid, whom they face in a Champions League semi-final first leg at the Etihad next Tuesday, and revealed he was interested in taking Silva from Valencia to the Bernabeu.
"I was interested. He's a very good player and I think every manager wants to have David Silva in his squad."
"But it was too many years ago to remember why a deal did not happen."
